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| Balochistan, other issues were discussed: Indian foreign secretary New Delhi, Feb. 25 : Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Thursday replied in the affirmative when asked whether the issue of Balochistan figured in her talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir. Briefing media persons here after the talks here, Ms. Rao said: "Balochistan and other bilateral issues were discussed." When probed further about Islamabad's charge of Indian interference in Balochistan, Ms. Rao said: "Pakistan raised certain other issues and we responded appropriately, reiterating our national position on these issues." Pakistan has repeatedly maintained that India has been fomenting unrest in Balochistan. India has rejected this charge and asked Islamabad to supply it with proof of its involvement. Rao made it clear that New Delhi has not received any dossier from Islamabad on India's perceived role in Balochistan. Earlier in the day, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir had said that both Balochistan and Kashmir would be on his agenda for Thursday's talks. Bashir made these remarks shortly before leaving his hotel for the talks venue. Bashir was leading a 13-member delegation in the talks to be held with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. He said he had come to New Delhi with the hope of taking talks with India on key bilateral issues, including Kashmir and Balochistan, forward. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told ANI and other media that Islamabad will be discussing Kashmir in the talks as it saw the issue as being a core one. During his stay, Bashir is also scheduled to call on External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and the National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon. --ANI http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-59448.html Balochistan and Kashmir to be raised in talks with India: Pak Foreign Secretary Calcutta News.Net Thursday 25th February, 2010 (ANI) New Delhi, Feb.25 : Barely minutes before the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are to meet for crucial and significant day-long talks at Hyderabad House here, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said both Balochistan and Kashmir will be on the agenda for Thursday's talks. Bashir made these remarks shortly before leaving his hotel for the talks venue. Bashir is leading a four member delegation in the talks to be held with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. He said he had come to New Delhi with the hope of taking talks with India on key bilateral issues, including Kashmir and Balochistan, forward. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told ANI and other media that Islamabad will be discussing Kashmir in the talks as it saw the issue as being a core one. While the Indian side is expected to focus on the issue of terrorism, and what Pakistan is doing to stop such activities on its soil, the Pakistan side has said it will be putting all issues of bilateral importance on the table, and expects New Delhi to respond positively. A joint statement is unlikely to be issued. Both Foreign Secretaries Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir will, however, be addressing separate press conferences here this afternoon after the talks. Bashir is here with a five-member delegation. Five members led by Rao will also represent the Indian side. After arriving in New Delhi, Bashir said: "It's good to be back. I am here to bridge the differences and hope for a positive outcome." A private channel quoted Bashir as saying that "Pakistan has no fixed agenda. Just looking for a way forward for the talks." Bashir also said he would discuss any issue, including terror. During his stay, Bashir is also scheduled to call on External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and the National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon. Earlier, speaking in Beijing, on Wednesday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi termed the February 25 Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan as an 'exploratory' meeting and insisted that Islamabad wants a meaningful dialogue with New Delhi. Qureshi also recalled that India, through a joint communiqu é, had agreed that acts of terrorism would not impede the process of dialogue between both nations. Qureshi said the ball is now India's court, and the outcome the talks would largely depend on New Delhi's response and approach. http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/605475 Balochistan, Kashmir on Pak's agenda for talks February 25, 2010 12:18 IST Barely minutes before the foreign secretaries of India [ Images ] and Pakistan met for crucial and significant day-long talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi [ Images ], Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said both Balochistan and Kashmir [ Images ] will be on the agenda for Thursday's talks. Bashir made these remarks shortly before leaving his hotel for Hyderabad House. Bashir is leading a four-member delegation in the talks to be held with Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao [ Images ]. He said he had come to New Delhi with the hope of taking talks with India on key bilateral issues, including Kashmir and Balochistan, forward. While the Indian side is expected to focus on the issue of terrorism, and what Pakistan is doing to stop such activities on its soil, the Pakistan side has said it will be putting all issues of bilateral importance on the table, and expects New Delhi to respond positively. However, a joint statement is unlikely to be issued. Rao and Bashir will, however, address separate press conferences today afternoon, after the talks conclude. During his stay, Bashir is also scheduled to call on External Affairs Minister S M Krishna [ Images ] and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon [ Images ]. Earlier, speaking in Beijing [ Images ], on Wednesday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi termed the February 25 foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan as an ''exploratory'' meeting and insisted that Islamabad [ Images ] wants a meaningful dialogue with New Delhi. Qureshi also recalled that India, through a joint communique, had agreed that acts of terrorism would not impede the process of dialogue between both nations. Qureshi said the ball is now India's court, and the outcome of the talks would largely depend on New Delhi's response and approach to various issues. © Copyright 2010 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent. http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/feb/25/balochistan-kashmir-on-paks-agenda-for-talks.htm India supplies weapons to Pakistani terrorists: Bashir Calcutta News.Net Thursday 25th February, 2010 (IANS) Pakistan Thursday accused India of covertly supplying weapons to 'militants and terrorists' in its Balochistan province from Afghanistan. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told reporters here that there was 'clear evidence of (Indian) activities prejudicial to Pakistan's security being undertaken from foreign soil, including efforts at destabilization, supply of weapons to militants and terrorists'. 'We have ample evidence, including photographic evidence, of these activities.' Pakistan accuses India of using Afghanistan as a base to support insurgents in Balochistan. New Delhi denies the charge. http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/605757 India-Pakistan talks conclude, differences remain Calcutta News.Net Thursday 25th February, 2010 (ANI) New Delhi, Feb 25 : Although India and Pakistan both said that the foreign secretary level talks is a "first step" towards the resumption of formal dialogues, certain differences could be sensed from the outcome of the discussions, which included serious issues like terrorism, Mumbai attacks, Kashmir and Balochistan. After the discussions, Pakistan Foreign Secretary described his meeting with his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao, as a useful meeting and said it could be a good platform to restart broader bilateral discussions, but added that the two sides should not link individuals or incidents of terror to the talks. "Linking terror to talks is unfair, unrealistic and counter-productive to make one more incident (Mumbai) the focus and stall the talks based on that," Bashir said. "It is unfair to link talks to individuals, incidents of terror. Linking 26/11 to talks, will be a huge error of judgement. We are not desperate it is for India to decide whether they would like to continue with dialogues or not," added Bashir. Further defending 26/11 Mumbai attacks' mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, Bashir said: " The dossier on Saeed (submitted by India) looked more like a piece of literature than evidence. No need to lecture what is to be done." "Hafeez Saeed does not speak for the people of Pakistan or the government," he added. He also said Pakistan is taking action against terrorist for its own national interest and International community hails its efforts. Bashir added that Pakistan is not the epicenter of terrorism, but is a victim and the country has witnessed hundreds of Mumbai type terror attacks. "India has had one 26/11, we have had a 1000 Mumbais," he added. Making an indirect reference to India's involvement in Balochistan, Pakistan Foreign Secretary in his opening remarks had even blamed India for involvement in activities, which are prejudicial to Pakistan security. Bashir also said that Pakistan does not want cosmetic dialogue with India. He also informed that the assets of JuD have been frozen, and Saeed was released from the court through a legal process. However, he did stress that Pakistan is willing to negotiate with India on all issues including intelligence sharing. Foreign Secretary Bashir also harped on Pakistan's traditional stand on Kashmir and said that the issue of Kashmir is the core and nobody can be dismissive about it. "Kashmir can be addressed in a more meaningful manner through the composite dialogue process. We did voice our concerns over the human rights violation in Kashmir. The focus of our talks (with the Indian side) was Kashmir," Bashir said, adding that for Pakistan, Kashmir is still and will remain a core issue. Bashir emphasized that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is keen for peace in the region, and has a vision for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia. http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/605808 India supplies weapons to Pakistani terrorists: Bashir New Delhi, Feb 26 : Pakistan Thursday accused India of covertly supplying weapons to "militants and terrorists" in its Balochistan province from Afghanistan. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told reporters here that there was "clear evidence of (Indian) activities prejudicial to Pakistan's security being undertaken from foreign soil, including efforts at destabilization, supply of weapons to militants and terrorists". "We have ample evidence, including photographic evidence, of these activities." Pakistan accuses India of using Afghanistan as a base to support insurgents in Balochistan. New Delhi denies the charge. --IANS http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-59327.html India, Pak dialogue: New round, old story Jayanth Jacob , Hindustan Times New Delhi, February 26, 2010 India, Pak dialogue: New round, old story India and Pakistan fell short of bridging the post-Mumbai divide on Thursday. During the first official talks in 14 months, New Delhi said Islamabad needed to do more about terrorism. Islamabad said it could only do more if the two sides resumed full dialogue. While they agreed to keep channels of communication and Pakistan extended an invitation for another round, no dates were announced. Though Bashir at one point dismissed India’s dossiers on LeT founder Hafiz Saeed “as literature, not evidence”, he later said he had meant this in a legal sense and he was “sorry” for any confusion the expression had caused.Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the talk was in line with “our graduated and step by step approach with modest aims”. However, she said, Pakistan had not done enough about those behind Mumbai. “Pakistan looks forward to reversing the tide of regression that has taken place in its relationship with India,” said Pakistan foreign secretary Salman Bashir. Declining to specify any new anti-terrorist measures by his country, he noted “Pakistan is not desperate” about holding a dialogue. Though Bashir at one point dismissed India’s dossiers on LeT founder Hafiz Saeed “as literature, not evidence”, he later said he had meant this in a legal sense and he was “sorry” for any confusion the expression had caused. The two held over three hours of talks-including an 80-minute one-on-one discussion between the two foreign secretaries. India pitched for action against Saeed and full investigation into 26/11 plot. Indian officials said 85 per cent of the discussions’ time was spent on terror. “We went into today’s talks with an open mind, but fully conscious of the limitations imposed by the large trust deficit,” Rao said. She said Islamabad needed to follow up on the leads emerging following the arrest in the US of David Coleman Headley and Tahawuur Hussain Rana. The two sides showed little agreement on even the nature of the discussions. Noting that 5,366 people had died in Pakistan due to terrorism since 2008 and that “many Mumbais” take place in Pakistan, Bashir said “It is unfair, unrealistic and counter-productive to make an issue of terrorism in a generic way and stall the process of overall relations between both the countries.” Indian officials pointed out Pakistan was a victim of terrorism “of its own making.” Rao said Kashmir was discussed “briefly.” But Bashir said it was “the core issue” of the relationship. “Kashmir was discussed extensively,” he said. Bashir did not hesitate to attack India’s stance on dialogue later. “Pakistan does not believe in cosmetic engagement, Pakistan does not believe India should lecture us and demand Pakistan should do this or that.” He talked of Indian interference in Balochistan and India upsetting the region’s military balance. Delhi interpreted that as posturing for the gallery and for the Pakistan army. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-Pakistan-dialogue-New-round-old-story/H1-Article1-513002.aspx |
| India-Pakistan talks conclude, differences remain New Delhi, Feb 25 : Although India and Pakistan both said that the foreign secretary level talks is a "first step" towards the resumption of formal dialogues, certain differences could be sensed from the outcome of the discussions, which included serious issues like terrorism, Mumbai attacks, Kashmir and Balochistan. After the discussions, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir described his meeting with his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao, as a useful meeting and said it could be a good platform to restart broader bilateral discussions, but added that the two sides should not link individuals or incidents of terror to the talks. "Linking terror to talks is unfair, unrealistic and counter-productive to make one more incident (Mumbai) the focus and stall the talks based on that," Bashir said. "It is unfair to link talks to individuals, incidents of terror. Linking 26/11 to talks, will be a huge error of judgement. We are not desperate it is for India to decide whether they would like to continue with dialogues or not," added Bashir. Further defending 26/11 Mumbai attacks' mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, Bashir said: " The dossier on Saeed (submitted by India) looked more like a piece of literature than evidence. No need to lecture what is to be done." "Hafeez Saeed does not speak for the people of Pakistan or the government," he added. He also said Pakistan is taking action against terrorist for its own national interest and International community hails its efforts. Bashir added that Pakistan is not the epicenter of terrorism, but is a victim and the country has witnessed hundreds of Mumbai type terror attacks. "India has had one 26/11, we have had a 1000 Mumbais," he added. Making an indirect reference to India's involvement in Balochistan, Pakistan Foreign Secretary in his opening remarks had even blamed India for involvement in activities, which are prejudicial to Pakistan security. Bashir also said that Pakistan does not want cosmetic dialogue with India. He also informed that the assets of JuD have been frozen, and Saeed was released from the court through a legal process. However, he did stress that Pakistan is willing to negotiate with India on all issues including intelligence sharing. Foreign Secretary Bashir also harped on Pakistan's traditional stand on Kashmir and said that the issue of Kashmir is the core and nobody can be dismissive about it. "Kashmir can be addressed in a more meaningful manner through the composite dialogue process. We did voice our concerns over the human rights violation in Kashmir. The focus of our talks (with the Indian side) was Kashmir," Bashir said, adding that for Pakistan, Kashmir is still and will remain a core issue. Bashir emphasized that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is keen for peace in the region, and has a vision for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia. --ANI http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-59461.html >>> NEXT |